Cairo
by wolfypuppypiles
Summary: Bozer and Riley go snooping to find out what really happened on that mission in Cairo, and find more than they bargained for. (My very whumpy version of what could have happened)
1. Chapter 1

(AN: First of all, I am no bomb expert, and I've researched way too many questionable things this week alone, to be able to look up much about it. So, I guessed. It's most definitely wrong but whatever I hope you like this anyway)

"Why do they get a day off?" Bozer didn't mean to sound so whiny, but it wasn't like he wanted to be in the phoenix headquarters while Jack and Mac were at home laying around.

Matty frowned at his tone, and made her own equally grumpy. "It's not like I want to let half my team stay home, but they refuse to come in on Cairo day. Feel free to try and get them here, but prepare for the rest of the day to consist only of Jacks lecture about why it's bad luck."

Riley crossed her arms, as she put her feet up on the seat in front of her. "I thought Mac would come in at least. He doesn't believe in bad luck."

Matty turned her back to the two young agents, focussing instead on her tablet. Her voice was smaller, as if talking to herself. "Yeah, well whether he believes in the Cairo curse or not, today is hard for him too. It's not exactly something he wants to remember."

Riley took her boots off the couch, to lean forward, just as Bozer did. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Matty looked up from her screen, to frown at the two. "Oh no. Nuh uh, they won't talk about Cairo, I won't either. Go play in the lab or something; find something useful to do. Just because there isn't a mission, doesn't mean you aren't working."

Bozer ran for the door, with Riley following after, before Matty could say anything else; but she should have known they wouldn't stop at just asking her about it. Jack and Mac had been going on about their horrendous failure of a mission since forever, and they wanted to know about it.

Bozer waited till they were out of Mattys earshot before he leant towards Riley with a conspiratorial smirk. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

She smiled, rising her eyebrows excitedly. "Shall we do a little snooping?"

Bozer did his best impression of a villain laugh, and opened the door to the labs. "After you Miss Davis."

It didn't take long for Riley to get into the system she needed, or for her to find the file she was looking for, although it was buried deep in reports and mission logs. But when it came to click on it, she hesitated.

"Should we be doing this? They don't want to tell us, maybe we should just respect their privacy."

Bozer frowned. "They don't talk about it, because they think it's bad luck, not because they don't want us to know." He paused, staring at the screen. "Although...I do hear Mac having nightmares sometimes, and I know they're about Cairo because he calls Jack over and they talk about it, in his room."

Riley nodded. "Yeah, I've heard Jack have nightmares about it too, and he always insists on checking on Mac afterwards. What do you think happened?"

Bozer stared at the computer screen, unsure of what to do. Maybe he didn't want to know, maybe they shouldn't snoop, but eventually his curiosity won out and he went to click the file.

"Mac said he'd never keep anything from me again, so if he can't talk about it, I'll just have to read about it."

The file was fairly large, with mission reports from Mac and Jack, as well as a bunch of other files from the higher ups and some from...DXS's medical personnel?

"What happened on this mission?"

Bozer looked just as worried Riley, but surged ahead regardless. "We might as well find out."

Click.

…

The bombs timer was ticking, but the terrorists didn't take the bait. The plan failed.

Mac looked down at the timer, counting down from ten seconds, as he swallowed his fear. Jack whined unhappily, as Farhad and his guys pointed their guns at them, not seeing a way out.

The situation was bad, but not quite as bad as Jack believed it to be. Mac may have taken a risk with the bluff, but he hadn't been totally stupid about it. The bomb wasn't activated, just the timer was. He'd disconnected the wires from the rest of the scary looking tanks and explosives around it, leaving it as nothing but an oversized, horrifying, counter.

Farhad looked very pleased with himself, as he jerked his gun forward with a smile. "You really thought you could stop us? Now you're going to die, along with the thousands of people you've just sentenced to death with your little stunt. All we have to do is wait the last five seconds."

Mac tutted his tongue, tilting his head to the side as he confessed. "Actually...I didn't even activate the bomb. It's ticking down to nothing."

The gleeful look fell from Farhads face, as Jack laughed hysterically, with relief. "What?"

"Oh thank god! Mac, I thought we were about to die!"

The terrorist did not think it was as funny as Jack did, and thrust his gun forwards once more. "You still are!"

Thank god for coincidences, and bad traffic, because while someone a few streets away, definitely crashed their car, the sound was enough of a diversion for Jack to get to his feet and take out a couple of the terrorist assholes with a few well placed punches.

Mac was less lucky, managing to catch one of the bad guys in the face with his elbow, and tear a gun from another, before one of them got in a good punch to his face, and he stumbled back.

His vision blurred and swirled, but he managed to stand upright again, in time to block another hit, as Farhad yelled at his men to keep them alive.

Mac heard Jack grunt as he took a hit, and worked harder to get the terrorists off him, but there were too many. He managed to turn enough to see Jack get hit in the stomach, before the butt of a gun came at his face, and everything went black.

Jack kept the fight going a little longer, only stopping when he heard Mac grunt in pain, and something heavy fall to the floor, before one of the men's voice rang out, amused and pleased with himself.

"Surrender, or your friend will die!"

Jack didn't want to turn, because he knew what he was going to see. The other men backed off and trained their guns back on him, as he turned to see Farhad dragging Mac's limp form off the ground, to point a gun at his head as it lolled forward, chin on his chest.

There was blood trailing down the kids face, where he'd been hit over the forehead with the gun, and Jacks blood boiled with rage.

"Which one of you bastards hit him? I'm going to make you regret it."

Farhad laughed, gestring to Mac. "You're just as stupid as this one."

Jack shrugged, trying desperately to figure a way out of their god awful situation. "Stupider, actually." If he could just get poor Mac out of that bastards hands, and get a gun or two, he could blast his way out. But there were too many. Farhad was still talking.

"- tried to ruin our plans, but I think I like yours better. So, we're going to set the bomb off here, to maximise the death toll, and you two are going to stay behind to see it happen."

He scowled as he dumped Mac on the floor, calling out to his men in a foreign tongue, as Jack lunged forward.

How dare he dump Mac on the ground so carelessly! He wanted to tear that man apart, but he didn't even get close, before a foot found his back, and kicked him to the dirt. Hands jerked his arms behind his back, and they pulled him over to the bomb they were rewiring.

Jack could only struggle, as he watched one of the men pick up Mac's leg and drag him across the ground, to the giant crate holding the bomb. He groaned a little, at the rough treatment, eyebrows scrunching in pain, but he didn't wake up.

With their new plans,and accelerated timeline, Farhad wasted no time in tying both boys up to the crate, and activating the bomb.

"Goodbye, and thank you for making this so much fun." He and his men turned to leave, before considering, and turning back with a grin. "Oh, I almost forgot. Since, your man seems so intent on playing around with my bomb, I should probably make sure he doesn't do it again, huh?"

Mac was just starting to come around, head rolling as he huffed and puffed in irritation at his arms being tied, but he woke up all at once, when the knife came down in his thigh.

He screamed in agony, as Farhad and his men laughed, watching Mac's eyes spring open in panic as he looked down at the blades handle standing up from his leg.

Jack kicked and pulled at his bindings, spewing curses at the men in front of him, but he couldn't get free.

"Goodbye, enjoy our bomb; and enjoy dying knowing you killed so many more people than we had even planned."

Jack continued to curse as they left, bomb ticking away, while Mac was gasping, and trying to concentrate through the pain.

"Ugh, Jack. Get the knife."

Jack paled, at the blood trickling down his partners leg, and the way his whole body was trembling from the pain. He knew what Mac meant, but he couldn't."

"If I move that knife, I could cut something important, and you'll bleed out in minutes."

Mac was panting, eyes lifting to the ceiling as he tried to stop the room from spinning. "If you don't get it out, and use it to cut these ropes, I'll only live long enough to feel it when we both blow up."

Jack scrunched up his face, wriggling his arms around to try and get his hand far enough to grab the handle of the knife. "We'll feel it?"

Mac blinked heavily, out of breath. "No, I was...just get it out."

Jack watched his partners face closely as his fingers stretched closer to the knife, wincing in sympathy when Mac sucked in a breath at his touch.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. Mac, this is going to suck, so, just don't pass out okay? I still need you to disarm this bomb."

Mac closed his eyes, hands curling into fists, as he nodded.

Jack clenched his teeth together, wishing there was another way but knowing there wasn't. He pulled the knife out as straight up as he could, to try and minimise the damage, but there really wasn't any painless way to pull out a knife.

Mac did his best to bite down on his scream of pain, but it still came out as an agonised groan, and he was left panting and shaky.

Jack quickly started on the ropes, ignoring the blood dripping from the blade. "I'm sorry, buddy. I'll get us out of this, and we'll take care of that leg, just keep breathing for now."

The ropes came free quickly, and Jack unwrapped them both, as Mac leant against the crate, eyes closed.

Jack took a peek at the bombs timer, sighing in some semblance of relief when he saw they had twenty minutes. It was better than it could have been.

Now, he just had to stop Mac's leg from bleeding, so he wouldn't pass out on top of the bomb. While the warehouse was huge, there wasn't a lot to work with. It wasn't like he could patch him up with artifacts.

He didn't want to move too far away from the kid either, so he settled for the cleanest drop cloth he could find, and dragged it over, tearing it into strips to use as bandages.

It wasn't the best option, but it would have to do for now. Mac barely moved as he wrapped the cloth firmly around his thigh, only whimpering once, when Jack cinched it tight before tying it off.

Mac was just blinking his tired eyes open, when Jack finished, and gently took his hand in a tight grasp.

"Hey, buddy. I know you're hurting, but we gotta get this bomb taken care of, okay?"

Mac nodded, bringing his free hand up to wipe the tears from his eyes. He looked so tired, and Jack knew he had to be sporting a concussion on top of everything else, but the didn't exactly have time to take it easy, and they had both dealt with worse hurts before in the middle of missions.

"Let's get you up." Jack tightened his grip on Mac's hand, and used his other arm to wrap around the kids waist, hauling him up to his wobbly feet so he could get a look at what they were working with.

Mac's vision wasn't as clear as he would have liked; the pain blurring everything at the edges, but he did his best to keep his head straight as he sagged heavily against the crate.

"Uhh...I can't disarm this."

Jack made a noise of agitation, adjusting Mac's weight in his arms as he held him up, hands wrapped firmly around the kids waist.

"Well, that's kind of our job here, man. So think of something quick before we all go up in flames. I am not dying surrounded by mummies and dumb, boring old artifacts. I'm dying somewhere cool, like the moon or-"

Mac shook his head slightly, waving a hand in front of him to quiet Jacks rambling.

"We aren't getting blown up. I can't disarm it, but I can take the kick out of it, by pulling out those tanks."

Jack looked into the crate, eyebrows lifting in awe. "So, you're gonna take the dirty, out of a dirty bomb?"

Mac nodded, and started carefully pulling at the chains, looking for the best place to cut them from. "The warehouse will still blow, but it won't hurt anyone in the street. Jack, get me something to cut these chains, and try to find a car or something outside, we need to get these as far away from the blast as possible, so they don't break open."

Jack nodded, and went to do as he was asked, but hesitated when it came to letting go of Mac. He looked down at his hands, feeling the way Mac was leaning into him.

"You gonna be good to stand on your own?"

Mac let out a small 'oh' and clung to the side of the crate, taking his own weight as much as he could on his uninjured leg, and trying to act as if he wasn't about to fall over. "I'm good. Go."

Jack was hardly convinced the kid would be able to stand long enough for him to come back, let alone long enough to de-bang the bomb, but nodded and left anyway.

Thankfully, with so many crates and boxes chained up in the warehouse, it wasn't hard to find a pair of bolt cutters, and Jack dropped them off to Mac, helping him cut the chains twined over the bomb, before going to find a ride to hotwire in the parking lot outside.

"I found a pickup truck that'll do just fine. How careful do I need to be with these, and how far away do you want th- Mac!"

The kid was hanging on the side of the crate, bad leg barely taking any weight at all and bleeding all over the place, as he tangled his fingers in wires. He looked like he was about to fall over any second, and Jack interrupted his own ramble of questions, to grab the kid before he could slip to the floor.

"Hey, you alright? You should sit down."

Mac shook his head, panting as he shivered. "Don't have time. Tighten the bandage and get these loaded in the truck. Take them at least a block away, and somewhere they won't be found by civilians."

He lifted a hand to his forehead, wiping away the annoying drip making its way down his face. When he pulled his hand back, it was smeared in red, and he grunted in annoyance, and wiped it on his shirt, unfazed.

Jack took a peek at the clock, and hurried his movements, pulling the bandage tighter on Mac's thigh, and apologising for his grunt of pain, before he started pulling the radioactive tanks outside.

He thought they'd have enough time, he thought he could stop anyone from getting hurt; but the truck he'd taken was not as fast as he'd liked, and the radioactive material he was handling needed to be hidden away from any prying eyes.

By the time he got back to the warehouse, there were mere seconds on the clock, and he knew he wouldn't get there in time.

He dumped off the loads, and tore down the street back to the warehouse, coming to a screeching halt, and sprinted to get Mac.

The bomb wasn't radioactive anymore, it wouldn't kill anyone that wasn't in that warehouse, but that was the problem because Mac was still inside.

Jack ran as fast as he could, and he could see the kid stumbling to the exit.

"Mac!"

He looked up, blood pouring down his face, and matted through his hair, bad leg dragging behind him, and he knew he didn't have enough time.

"Jack, no! Get back!"

Jack did no such thing. Like hell he'd leave him.

Mac was so close to the doorway, if they only had a few more seconds...but they didn't.

Jack pushed his legs as hard he could, trying to just get there a little faster. But it was too late.

The bomb blew; fire and wood exploding upwards and out, before the building crumbled with a huge crash.

And Mac was gone.

(AN: please let me know what you think! This will be multichaptered I wouldn't just leave it there lol and also Mac is not dead just a little spoiler alert, because it wouldn't be any fun if he was dead hehe)


	2. Chapter 2

(AN: sorry this chapter suuucks I hate it but its sooo hot here I'm melting and I didn't want everyone waiting too long on that cliffhanger so I hope you like this at least a little bit

also I know Nikki would be more involved but shes annoying as shit so whatever lol)

Jack was blown backwards with the force of the blast, landing on his back on the pavement, leaving him winded and reeling.

He barely even noticed the pain in his shoulder, as debris flew his way, a piece of something stabbing into his arm. But how could he care about anything else? Mac was in there.

He could think of nothing else, blinking in panic as he peered through the dust to try and see if Mac had made it clear. But all he could see was rubble and flames.

"No, no Mac. Come on, kid. Don't be dead, don't leave me like this."

His hands fumbled for his phone, pulling it from his pocket and pressing speed dial, as he picked himself up from the ground. It was harder than it should have been, to pull in air, due to the rough fall, and it was only getting worse as he tried to fight back his emotions.

Thorton picked up, sounding more panicked than Jack had ever heard her. "Jack! Nikki and I are watching from the satellite. Did that building just blow up? Where are you and MacGyver?"

Jack couldn't take his eyes off the wreckage, his growing, overwhelming panic, making it hard to formulate an answer to either of her questions.

"He's...They hurt him, and he couldn't walk so...Patty he's...he's in there."

She was silent for just a moment, and Jack could hear her quiet, shocked breaths, before there was a scrambling rustle on the phone, and Nikki's wavering voice.

"Is he…?" He knew what she was asking, but he refused to think the answer could be anything close to yes.

"I tried to get to him. I thought I had enough time, but he...I have to find him."

Nikki's breath hitched, as she started to cry, and Patricia was back on. "I'll send a team in. Jack you shouldn't touch anything till they get there, you could cause more damage."

Jack's voice was stronger as he made his way to the mess of the warehouse. "I have to get him out."

Patricia sounded more determined now, but Jack was hardly listening. "We're coming, Jack. We'll be there soon. We'll get him."

Jack didn't notice when she hung up, or when he dropped his phone to the ground in his haste to get to his partner, all he could think about was the way Mac had looked at him when the bomb blew.

He had known he wouldn't be making it out, and all he had wanted was for Jack to get back and be safe. But that wasn't Jacks job, that didn't matter to him. All that mattered, was that Mac got out of every mission safe; that was Jack's job, and he'd failed.

He knew he had to be careful about what he moved, in case the whole jenga pile came tumbling down onto Mac. He could potentially make things much worse, if he moved the wrong thing. But he couldn't leave his boy in that smoldering mess, he couldn't just sit, and wait, and do nothing.

Blood dripped down Jacks arm, pain tugging at it every time he moved, but it was the last thing he was thinking about, as he tried to find what was left of the doorway Mac had been standing in when it came down.

"I'm coming, Mac. I'll find you. It'll be okay." The last word came as a sob, and he raised a dirty hand to his face to clear his eyes.

It didn't take long for Thorton and Nikki to get there with the rescue team; running out of their cars towards the wreck, to find Jack shouting for his partner. He didn't seem to notice them as they approached, and Patricia had to to touch his shoulder, in order for him to turn.

What she saw made her take a step back, in shock, although she shouldn't have been surprised, given that the agent before her had survived an explosion.

His eyes were bloodshot and damp, face streaked with dirt, as blood continued to soak into his shirt from the glass sticking out of his shoulder.

His voice was rough, and thick with emotion. "We have to find him. I can't...I can't find him."

Patricia nodded, hands reaching out to pull him from the mess. "We will, but you need to be checked over."

Jack shook his head, eyebrows coming down over furious eyes. "No! I'm not leaving him!"

She knew there was no point arguing; Jack wouldn't abandon his partner, even at gunpoint, and her order as Director would mean nothing to him. She let him go, with a sigh and started to help him dig.

Jack grew more panicked as time went on, but finally, he saw those familiar curled fingers beneath wood, and debris.

"I found him! Mac, I got you. Hang on, I'll get you out."

Rescue workers ran forward, to meet him where he was crouching, gripping those fingers tight. "Don't touch anything! Let us handle it."

Jack wouldn't have listened, except the faster he let them through, the faster he got Mac back. He squeezed those fingers tight, whispering to the kid, before Thorton's hands met his shoulders, pulling him gently back.

"You'll be okay, please be okay."

He stumbled back, feeling weak, and shaky, and watched the rescue workers pile in and start their work.

Watching them work, and not be able to move forward and help, made Jack itch, hands jerking forward every time another piece of MacGyver was revealed.

His arm was uncovered, dusty and scratched; and Jacks hands curled into fists to stop him reaching out. His shoulders came next, then his back, and hips, legs, blood pooling around where he lay, but Jack couldn't see his face; he needed to see his face.

"Jack, stop." Patricia tried to pull him back, to get him to sit down, as Nikki cried quietly behind him, but he couldn't.

Mac's blond hair glinted in the sun, most of it soaked through with red, from the wound on his forehead made worse by the collapse. There was too much blood; through his hair, down his neck, on his thigh from the stab wound. But that wasn't what the EMT's were muttering about.

Hands pressed gauze and bandages to stop the bleeding, but their worried looks were focussed elsewhere.

Jack stepped closer, ignoring Patty's insistent pleas for him to stop, and listened instead, to what was being said about his partner.

"We're going to need to stabilize this, before we move him; but we need to move fast, his vitals are dropping."

"I'm not getting any response to pain. I'm putting his GCS at an eight."

Another one sighed, fingers pressing high on Mac's spine. "I can feel a break here, I'm gonna need a vacuum stretcher."

Jack didn't understand all the numbers and acronyms that they started rattling of, but he knew that it was bad. Mac was having trouble breathing, and his blood pressure was too low; they suspected internal bleeding somewhere in his chest, and there was a break someplace in the kids spine.

His legs felt as if they were about to give out, and he wobbled where he stood. Nikki came to his side, taking his hand. "He'll be okay. Right? He's always okay."

Jack would have been inclined to agree, because their job was dangerous and messy, and they'd gotten out of some tough spots together. But it had never been this bad.

Jack knew he needed to be strong, to put on a brave face, but he lost any semblance of calm once he saw Mac's face.

Finally, he could see his kid, but it wasn't what he had wanted to see. Mac's eyes were closed, face ashen and blood stained, with dirt and dust streaked over his skin. Scratches marred his cheek and lip, and his lips were slightly parted and...blue.

EMT's started shouting about a collapsed lung, panicked voiced declaring that Mac had stopped breathing. Jack's vision started to blur, as they rolled Mac over onto his back, covering his face with a mask, as they tried to get his remaining lung to work. His shirt was torn open, a needle stuck into his chest, to relieve the pressure, before they cursed and started CPR.

It wasn't working. They were losing him.

Nikki's hand tightened on Jack's but Jack didn't squeeze back. He couldn't feel his hands anymore, or any part of him, that wasn't his thumping, racing heart.

He watched them hold Mac's head, and place things in his mouth to force him to breathe, and repeated his mantra in his head.

"Just survive, Mac. Don't die, that's all I ask. Don't die."

Nikki screamed, sobbing, just as the EMT's declared that Mac's heart had stopped, and Jack couldn't take anymore. He blacked out to the whine of the defibrillator.

…..

Lights. Voices. Hands. Something in his shoulder hurt. What the hell was going on? Where was he? Where was...

"Mac!" Jack erupted into awareness, thoughts already jumping to his partner, and he tried to sit up before his eyes were even open.

Hands found his chest, and pushed him back down, as he blinked up at the faces in front of him. "Jack, stop. You'll rip your stitches."

Nikki's red, tear-stained face, hovered over him as she tried to get him to calm down. Jack took a second to look around, noting that they appeared to be in a hospital, before brushing her hands away.

"Where is he? Why aren't you with him? He shouldn't be alone!" Thorton was watching him tiredly, from her spot in the corner of the room, clothing ruffled; and Jack didn't know why they wouldn't be with Mac unless he was…

The heart monitor he was attached to, began beeping errqatically, displeased with Jacks jumping heart rate, because the last time Jack had seen his little blonde genius, was when he was flatlining.

Nikki thumped her hand, impatiently on Jacks chest, making it ache just a little, as she tried to get him to focus on her, and end his spiral.

"He's alive, Jack! When they took him in, he was alive."

Her last words didn't make him feel much better, and he frowned at her, as he tried to steady his breaths. She sighed, and sat back in her chair next to his bed.

"He's still in surgery."

Jack slumped back to the bed, as he watched her face. His voice was rough, and he felt the slight blur of pain meds that he was no doubt being given through his IV.

"His heart stopped."

Nikki looked down at her hands as she spoke, face crumpling through her wobbly words.

"They had to shock him, like four times, and I couldn't look away. Jack, he...it looked like they were working on a corpse." She sucked in a breath, and wiped at her eyes, raising her chin to stare at the wall in front of her. And he could tell, she was trying to shut away her emotions and just relay the facts.

"They brought him back, but he wasn't breathing on his own. He's been in surgery for a couple of hours now. We've been with you since then. You had glass in your shoulder, so they took it out and sewed you back up. You have a minor concussion too, and some heavy bruising to your ribs and back, but you'll be fine."

Jack couldn't care less about his own condition. He attempted to swing his legs over the side of the bed once more, determined to get to his partner.

"I want to check in with the doctors, get some answers about how he's doing."

Thorton came forward this time, wary and quiet. "Jack, they'll tell us when they have news. For now, stay still. We don't need you making your injuries worse, on top of everything else."

Her eyes were sympathetic, something that jack hadn't seen before. "I'm worried about him too. But we just have to wait."

That, unfortunately, was not something Jack was good at, but he recognised her exhaustion and Nikki's precarious hold on her emotions.

He sank into his mattress with a bitten back sigh, and gently slipped his hand into Nikki's. "It'll be okay."

…..

It took far too long to hear anything, but when the doctor finally came to Jacks room, the three agents were so eager for news, they all stood at once. The doctor raised a hand, stopping their rush of questions before they began.

"He made it through surgery, but he's in serious condition. We've just settled him into the ICU and he's likely going to stay there for some time. He sustained a lot of damage during the building collapse, and it's going to be a long, hard road to recovery. But I do believe he will get there."

Nikki sighed in relief, but Jack had more questions. "I heard the medics talking, when they dug him out. His spine? Is it-?"

The doctors face grew somber, as he averted his gaze for a moment. When he brought his eyes back to Jacks, there was an apology there. "The initial assessment showed damage, and now that we've done some tests, and I've been able to look at the scans…" he hesitated. Jack hated when medical professionals hesitated.

"He's broken his neck."

The room was silent, afraid of what it might mean. Jack hated the words, and spat out his own, though he didn't know if he wanted his question answered.

"Is there… is the damage permanent?"

Nikki didn't look like she was listening anymore, face pale and drawn. Jack squeezed her hand in comfort.

"For now, it looks like he was lucky, and his spinal cord is intact. However we will need to be careful and be prepared for anything. He's not out of the woods yet."

Jack clenched his teeth at the phrasing. Mac was anything but lucky, but he knew the man was right. Mac could have died. But he hadn't, he just had to focus on that.

"You can see him when you're ready, but keep it calm in there. He isn't conscious just yet but hearing your voices can help him come back."

Thorton looked a shade pale herself, but shook the doctors hand. "Thank you."

…..

Technically, Jack shouldn't have been out of bed, but Mac shouldn't have been fighting for his life in some private hospital in freaking Egypt, so Jack didn't really care.

Nikki went first, while Jack impatiently waited for the nurse to detangle him from his iv and monitors. And he knew that it may be a while till Nikki was ready to let go of him. He didn't want to wait, but he couldn't deny her, her time with him.

When he finally got to go see him, he realised he may not be ready to. It had been hard enough to see Mac under the rubble, but now, to see him being kept alive with machines, taped up and sewed up and unresponsive? He didn't know if he could stomach that.

But of course he couldn't abandon him either, Mac needed to know he was there.

Thorton pushed the door open for him, so that he wouldn't have to use his bad arm, and he stumbled a bit as he caught sight of Mac in the bed.

The first thing he saw was the brace, around his partners neck, looking as if it were choking him or keeping him trapped. It made Jack feel claustrophobic, in a way he'd seldom felt before now. Then the breathing tube, trailing from his mouth, breathing for him and keeping him alive until his body healed enough to do it on its own.

He looked awful, even with the blood and dirt washed away, he looked as if he were gone already leaving nothing but an empty body.

Jack couldn't look at his face for long. It was too painful to see those eyes closed, because he couldn't help but wonder if they would ever open again.

So, instead, he focused on the little parts of Mac that looked the same as they always did. His hair hanging over his forehead, long enough that he was always flicking it out of his way.

Jack took a seat in the chair beside the bed, and carefully raised a hand to brush that hair back.

"Hey kid. I'm here now. I got you."

His hands were the same too, although they were hardly ever still, they were the same graceful, fingers that he'd watched a million times. They were always building things or taking things apart. Even now, they had the tiniest bit of grease and dirt under the nails, that Mac could never scrub free, and probably never wanted to.

Jack knew that Mac secretly loved the smell of grease, and oil from his motorbike, because it brought with it all the memories he had of his grandad and his father.

Jack took one of those hands, being careful of the wires and needles taped to it, and just focused on those fingers, on the wide, strong palm.

"I need you to wake up soon, okay? We're all here waiting, and you know how much I hate mission reports. Don't make me do it on my own, cause I can't remember half the stuff you did to fix that bomb." He let out a small, breathy laugh, already missing Mac's science lectures and the way he would scold Jack for skimming on details during reports.

"Come back, okay? Don't leave me alone here."

Jack knew that wishes came with birthday candles and shooting stars but all he had was a fiery explosion and he figured that counted as a giant candle of sorts. Weather it counted or not, he knew what he was wishing for, and he'd do anything to make it come true.

(AN: ill try to get the next chapter up soon thanks for all the wonderful comments and kudos it makes me so happy to see you enjoying it. also let me know if you have anything in particular you want to see in the next chapter)


	3. Chapter 3

Jack refused to leave Mac's side; and it was well known enough, in the little hospital, that everyone had stopped asking. Instead they asked other questions.

"Have you eaten today?"

Jack didn't look up from his partners face, eyes glued to the heavy purple and black bruises over the blondes sleeping face. Of course sleeping was a generous description. Mac was in a coma.

Which made Nikkis question rather irritating, because who the hell cared about what Jack was doing?

"No."

Nikki sighed, taking a seat beside her teammate, and patting Mac's good leg. "He'll be right here when you get back, you know. He wouldn't want you sitting here day after day. You need to take care of yourself."

Jack sighed, annoyed. "Don't tell me what he would want. He's not gone. He'll come back."

Nikki looked down at her lap, fingers fiddling with the sandwich she'd brought for him. She threw it on the side table, and sank further down in the chair. "Sorry."

Jack knew that Nikki missed him too, that she loved him too, but she hadn't known Mac as long as he had. Jack had met Mac in the desert, disarming bombs, and serving their country. Mac was his; and he knew that sounded crazy, but he couldn't let go of the need to protect him.

He scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to get rid of the tension he'd had trapped in his shoulders for the last few days. "I'm sorry. I just...I need him to wake up."

Her voice was small as she replied. "Me too."

The room was quiet, and still; like the world was completely separate from them, as they waited for any sign of life from their friend in the bed. And then Mac started choking.

One moment, it was all quiet, and Macs eyes were closed just as they had been for the last two days, and the next, they were blinking and twitching.

Jack noticed immediately of course, having watched his partner like a hawk since he was brought in. He froze for a second, watching Mac scrunch his eyebrows, and squeeze his eyes shut, before he jumped from his chair, and grabbed at that limp hand.

"Mac? Can you hear me, buddy?"

The blondes face was contorting around the breathing tube, scared, and in pain, and Jack did everything he could to reassure his partner, as Nikki went to call for a nurse.

"It's okay, mac. That's there to help you but they'll take it out soon. Just calm down."

The heart monitor was screaming, unhappily, as Mac struggled against the tube. He couldn't struggle much, not even able to move his head, with the brace in place, and that's when Jack noticed.

Mac wasn't moving. His fingers barely twitched in Jacks hold, but if Mac was that panicked they should have been squeezing him, or fighting to rip out the tube himself. He wasn't even kicking.

Jack looked down at the kid, heart picking up speed to thump in, rapid rhythm with Macs.

Another cough and gurgle came from the kid, tears rolling down over his temples, and Jack snapped out of it, running a hand through that blonde hair and leaning in close.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm here Mac. Just calm down. You're safe. I got you."

The whispered mantra seemed to work, as he repeated it over and over until the nurse came, and Jack allowed a smile to curve the corners of his mouth as Mac turned his head as much as he could towards his partner.

"That's it. Just calm down. You're okay. Open your eyes Mac."

The nurse was fiddling with the iv and Jack knew she'd be adding sedatives so that they could extubate; but he just needed to see those blue eyes again.

Macs chest arched a little, as he tried to get closer to Jack, fingers twitching in his hold, and finally those eyes flickered. Just a peek of blue between his eyelashes, before he winced, choking again on the tube, and squeezing his eyes back shut.

Jack couldn't let him go just yet, he needed Mac to see him; to know he was there. He brushed his hand through Macs hair again, talking softly as he held those limp fingers to his chest.

"Come on, buddy. Let me see you. Just for a little bit. You can do it, come on I'm right here."

The heart monitor was calming, and Jack didn't know if it was because of him or the sedatives but it didn't matter, really. He watched Macs face, the way it was relaxing as the pain eased.

His eyelids flickered once more, and he seemed to sigh, before finally opening his eyes just enough for Jack to see the bright blue iris around the huge drugged pupil. His gaze was glassy and unfocused but it settled on Jack for just a second, before closing again as he fell back asleep.

Jacks eyes were damp as he took his seat again, Macs hand still clutched firmly in his. "There you go, kid. You hang on, we'll get you out of this."

….

Mac didn't know much about where he was, or what had happened, but he thought that, through the pain, and fear, he had seen Jack.

Something hurt, actually most of everything hurt, but he couldn't think clearly enough to decide what exactly was happening.

It was dark where he was, but sometimes it was noisy too. Beeps, and the sounds of machines nearby, and voices close to him. He didn't recognize them all, but one of them kept pulling him forward, making everything solidify as if it were a dream being made real.

"-and I'll be right here waiting for you. So, you just open those eyes before I start singing. I know how much you hate my singing; don't make me sing everyone's ear off."

MacGyver was so close to reality, he could feel pressure in his hand where Jack was holding it, his thumb rubbing soothingly over his skin.

"There you go, Mackie. Come back to me."

His eyes blinked open, for a moment or two; enough time to see Jack there, hovering above him with a big smile. Sometimes Jack would run a hand through Mac's hair, and he'd feel like everything was okay. Jack's voice was warm, and Mac latched onto it for as long as he could.

"Hey, there buddy. Are you going to open your eyes for longer than a second, this time? I'm really missing you, man. You gotta wake up for good, so we can go home."

He didn't understand all the words, but they sounded nice. Nikki was there too, sometimes, as well as Thorton, and they chatted, and Nikki held his hand; but no one pulled MacGyver back like Jack did.

…

"I don't know how much more of this blinking I can take. He doesn't wake up for more than a few seconds at a time, and he's barely moving. When's he gonna wake up for real?"

Doctor Williams looked back through the small window in his patients door, to see the young man in the bed. He'd been extubated without complication, but was in a vegetative state for now. Which was not something he wanted to tell Mr Dalton, lest he be punched in the face.

"We can't predict something like that, at this stage. It could be any time...or no time. He sustained a serious head injury and-"

Jack clenched his teeth, fingers curling into fists at his side. "What about the movement? Why isn't he moving? Is he paralysed? You said there wasn't any damage."

The Doctor was getting nervous. He'd dealt with difficult patients, and family members before, but he knew that the man in front of him had some army experience, and a lot of pent up aggression. And if that wasn't bad enough, the other woman, Miss Thorton was even more terrifying.

"The scans didn't initially show any signs of damage to the spinal cord, no. But severe neck injuries, like the one Mr MacGyver sustained, can have some prolonged effects that must be corrected with time, patience, and physical therapy. He's got a long road of recovery ahead of him, but the first step is just getting him to progress to a minimally conscious state, at least. He's not interacting with or reacting to his environment just yet, he needs more time."

Jack's expression was something between anger, and anguish, making him hard to look at directly. "How long till he's ready to go home?"

"I don't know."

Jack's fist met the wall with a crack, and a scream of rage, making Doctor Williams flinch. "How come you don't know anything?! I need him back! I need him to be okay!"

He sighed, pressing his forehead against the wall as he attempted to focus, his voice going quiet. "We have someone waiting for us at home."

Dr Williams sighed. He knew how hard it was to wait, when so little could be done to speed things up. It was a form of torture in his opinion, and not many people handled it well.

"I'm sorry. I know it's hard."

Jack sniffed, pushing away from the wall, and rubbing a hand over his wet cheek. "I'm sorry for losing it. I just...I wasn't supposed to let anything happen to him. And now I got people at home asking where he is, and I can't tell them. I don't know what I'm going to do if he's not okay."

The Doctor placed a hand on the man's shoulder, no longer worried about what he might do, because this wasn't just a guy too angry to know what to do with it. He was a concerned friend, who was desperate to get his teammate back.

"I know it doesnt seem like it, but you talking to him, and holding his hand will help. A lot of patients that come out of comas, say that they remember those sorts of things. You can bring in sounds and smells he's familiar with too, like his favorite music or food. It all helps. Don't give up."

Jack took his hand, shaking it firmly. "Thank you, I really do appreciate everything you're doing."

The Doctor left, and Jack looked back through Mac's little window, wondering how he would be able to get the smell of gunpowder and grease into Mac's room.

…..

Mac could smell something.

It was strong, and familiar, like he'd been smelling it his whole life. It wasn't pleasant in the normal sense, but he knew he liked it for some reason.

Sounds came with it; voices. "You hold your shirt near his face any longer, and he'll stay in the coma for sure, Jack. You don't exactly smell like anything I'd want that close to my nose." That was Thorton, Mac could smell her perfume amid the other scents in the room.

Then Jacks voice came, grumbly, and not at all amused. "That's not even a little bit funny. He knows this smell, it's going to bring him back. The only other familiar scent I could get for him, was his old leather jacket, and a tiny bit of motor oil, 'cause you wouldn't let me smuggle any bullets, or any other explosive chemicals in here."

Mac breathed in another lungful of Jacks scent, and his partner was right; while the smell wasn't anything you'd get from a scented candle, it was like home to Mac and he could feel it pulling him from his sleep.

But it wasn't all Jack had brought. Music clicked on, and Mac recognised it as one of his favorites.

"Little nerd loves this one. It's no Willie Nelson but his grandad used to play it all the time."

The smells, and the music, filling the room, brought back so many memories at once, it was like Mac was swimming in his own mind. And then there was another sound, one that Mac had heard a million times before.

It was the ripping, sticky sound, of duct tape. Mac could hear Thorton start to laugh, as Jack chuckled. "Man, if he doesnt wake up for this, I don't know what's gonna do it. Should we get some tin foil? What noise do paper clips make? I could rattle 'em next to his ear."

Thorton's voice was closer, and Mac felt a hand touch his arm. "He'll wake up, Jack. He will."

Jack sighed, sounding defeated and tired. "I just...I miss him."

That did it. That snapped something awake in Mac's mind, and he blinked his eyes open.

Blink. White ceiling and walls. Blink. Jacks smiling face.

"Mac? Hey, bud. Please keep your eyes open this time."

He looked so worried, his smile a fragile curve, that was sure to drop any second, if he didn't get what he'd asked for.

Mac blinked, focussing on his partners face, before pulling his mouth into what felt like a smile. "J...ack."

Jacks smile grew until it lit up his whole face, as he picked up one of Mac's hands and pressed it to his chest. "You're awake! Boy, you had me so worried!"

Mac still couldn't move his fingers so well, but he smiled as Jack's eyes filled with tears, watching as they spilled over to roll down his cheeks.

His voice was warped with emotion, as he sniffed, still smiling. "We almost lost you, Mac."

Thorton smiled from behind Jack, patting the older mans shoulder. "It's good to have you back, MacGyver."

Mac couldn't agree more, and his eyes found the piles of supplies on the side table. "Is th...at a bomb timer?"

Jack let out a wet, shaky laugh. "Only the timer, I promise."


	4. Chapter 4

Although Jack was ecstatic that his best friend was awake, it wasn't long before Mac realised he was having trouble moving. The collar was still around his neck, stopping any movement of his head, and his hands only curled clumsily, jerking up to his chest, when he tried to investigate what it was.

Jack, quickly stood, taking Mac's hands and pulling them away, pressing them gently to the kids stomach, where they wouldn't go pulling at anything he wasn't supposed to.

"Leave that alone, bud. I know you don't like it, but it's important."

Thorton gave Jack a look, and took her leave, as Mac's heart monitor began to squeal. He tried to pull his hands from Jack's hold, but he was so weak, and his chest hurt. His breaths began coming too fast, and panicked whimpers fell from his mouth, as Jack tried to soothe him.

"Jack? What's...What's happening? What's wrong with me? Where are we?"

Jack squeezed Mac's hands, and spoke softly, trying to get him to focus, before the nurses could come and try to sedate him. He didn't want Mac sleeping again so soon after getting him back.

"It's okay, you're safe here. I'll tell you everything but you need to calm down first. Shh, Mac. Just take a deep breath, come on. I got ya, I'm not leaving."

Those blue eyes were so wide, as they locked with Jacks gaze, Mac's panicked breaths coming as painful wheezes, pulled in between his teeth.

Jack continued to mumble the same reasurances over and over, as he placed a wide palm over MacGyvers chest, to feel the thump of his heart, and the rise and fall of his breathing.

"I got you, just breathe, Mac. You're okay, you're safe. That's it, just keep those eyes on me. Hey, why are you so scared, huh? I'm right here I won't let anything get ya. You trust me don't you?"

It took a while, but finally, Mac was breathing a little easier, and his heart was back in normal rhythm.

"There you go. Now, I'm going to tell you everything, but I need you to just stay calm. No matter what happens, I will always be right here next to you. You know that. And despite all this, you'll be okay."

Mac squeezed Jacks fingers as much as his clumsy digits could. "Just tell me."

Jack nodded, but he hesitated; not knowing where to start. "Okay, what do you remember?"

Mac frowned minutely as he searched his muddled mind. "Um...we were on a mission. Farhad had a bomb, and I...I made him think that I triggered it, but it was just the timer."

Jack nodded. "Anything else?"

"No. What happened?"

He sighed. How was he supposed to tell him? He'd almost died, because Jack hadn't gotten to him fast enough. He might not ever be okay again, because no matter how much they tried or worked at it, some things are too broken; and they didn't really know if Mac would get back what he lost.

He couldn't look at Mac when he said it, choosing to instead, to stare at their twined fingers.

"Farhads guys tossed us around, knocked you out, and tied us to the bomb. They activated it, and- oh, I almost forgot, he also stabbed you in the leg too, the bastard. .You were bleeding out, and concussed, and you couldn't disarm it. All you could do was take the kick out of it, and make sure it didn't blow up anything but the warehouse."

He started choking up, all the guilt coming back, as he tried to find some way to apologise. "Mac...I couldn't get to you fast enough, I didn't...I tried to get to you, but there wasn't enough time. You didn't make it out. You were still in there when the bomb blew, and the warehouse came down on top of you."

His eyes were misting over, and Mac looked down at himself in the bed, and around the room. Mac was sure he'd been in the same bed for days, so why did he still have the neck brace on? And why was it so hard to move?

"Jack? How bad is it?" He was finding it hard to talk, as the lump in his throat grew.

Jack seemed to be having the same problem. He closed his eyes as he answered, his voice coming out strangled.

"Mac, buddy..." He didn't have to say anything else. His tone said it all. It was bad.

Tears fell down Macs cheeks, as a sob erupted from him. It made his chest ache, and head pound, but he couldn't stop it. He was scared, and he didn't know what was happening to him. He couldn't move, and he felt trapped in a way he never had before.

He was known for being able to get out of anything, no matter the situation, but now he could't find the strength or coordination to wipe his own tears away.

His fingers gripped Jack's as hard as he could, sobbing out his name as he tried to tug him closer.

"Jack."

The older man, had tears of his own, falling down his face, and he finally looked Mac in the eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mac. I'm so sorry. But, it'll be okay. No matter what happens it'll all be okay. I promise buddy, I'm not leaving you. Not for a second."

It was heartbreaking, seeing Mac sob as if he was completely defeated. Mac never gave up on anything, and he didn't cry easily, not like Jack. Jack had only ever see him cry a handful of times, and none of them came close to how much it hurt to see Mac cry himself to sleep, in the hospital bed in a foreign country. Because there wasn't anything he could do to stop it, or make it better.

Jack wiped his partners tears away, mumbling the same reassurances, until the poor little guy cried himself out, and fell asleep. "I got you, kid."

….

"By traveling inside drag-cutting gas pockets, new subsea systems can move much faster underwater than their conventional counterparts on the same amount of energy." Jack frowned at the magazine he was holding, before turning his gaze to Mac, who was patiently waiting for him to continue.

"I can keep reading it, but you know I won't understand any of it. They're just words to me, and I'll probably say them all wrong."

The kid smiled. "I can explain it to you. Or I could just read it myself."

Jack waved a hand, and straightened out the science magazine in his hands. "No, you can't. It's not good to strain your eyes after a big concussion, you just lay back and let me read it to you."

Jack found all the articles completely boring, of course; it was like a homework book but for nerdy adults that didn't even go to school anymore. But Mac liked it, and so Jack was happy to read it to him.

"Now, where were we?"

Jack's phone rang, before he could find where he left off, and he fished it out of his pocket, before the noise could give Mac's sensitive brain a headache.

"Yo, this is Jack."

"Jack! Where the hell is Mac?!"

The older agent winced, as he stood and took his call to the other end of the room, ignoring the way Mac was trying to steal the magazine.

He put on his best reassuring voice. "Heyyy, Bozer. My man, what's happening? Whats up?"

Bozer did not sound happy, his voice was loud and a little panicked. "Where the hell is Mac? He isn't answering his phone, and you two were supposed to be back home three days ago!"

"I'm sorry, the work trip got extended and we don't know how long we're going to be. Mac's sort of the head guy on all our projects so he's been real busy. Sorry, I should have called."

Jack ran a hand over his face, feeling drained. He hated lying to his friends, especially since Bozers best friend had almost died, and he didn't know about, and likely never would.

"Can I talk to him? Is he okay? Don't let him overwork himself, Jack. Last time he came home from one of your extended work trips, he slept for two days. I've been worried sick about him!"

Jack looked over to where Mac was sitting in bed, brace still around his neck, flipping through his science magazine to look at the pictures. He was still having trouble using his hands properly, his fingers clumsy and stiff. Jack hated seeing him struggle with something as simple as turning a page.

"He's fine, but he's really busy, Boze. Pattys working us real hard over here, and I just don't know when we'll make it home. I'm really sorry man, I think it might be a few weeks."

He hated it, but Mac needed to have the neck brace on for at least six weeks, and there was just no way he could go home to Bozer like that. Bozer didn't like it either.

"A few weeks?! They can't keep you there that long, that's insane! Let me talk to Mac!"

Jack ducked his head, hating the lies that kept coming. "He's really swamped right now, but I promise I'll get him to call you when he's able. I'll talk to you later, buddy."

He hung up before Bozer could say anything else, and felt bad as soon as he'd done it. But it couldn't be helped.

Jack turned back to his partner, with an exaggerated smile, pulling the magazine from his fingers. "No reading for you. I hope you were just looking at the pictures. Are there any pictures in these things?"

Mac returned the smile, before looking at the phone still clutched in Jacks hand. His voice was quiet. "Was that Bozer?"

Jack hesitated, taking his seat, before he nodded. "Yeah. He's been calling you, but it's not like I could tell him your phone was crushed under a building, so I told him you were busy."

Mac's gaze slid from Jack, to outside the window, at the foreign sky. "I wish we were at some boring think tank meeting."

Jack patted his knee, knowing exactly how he felt. "Me too, buddy."

….

"Jack, where are we?"

The older man didn't look up from where he was tucking Mac's blankets in. "Hospital in Cairo. You were in an accident, but you're okay now."

Mac frowned, watching his partners face closely. "What happened?"

Jack sighed, and carefully straightened out the blanket around Mac's chest, laying all the tubes and wires out so they wouldn't get caught on anything. "You were disarming a bomb, but it went off. You didn't get out of the building in time."

Mac opened his mouth to say something else, but Jack caught his eye and stopped him. "No one else got hurt, everyone's okay. And before you ask, again, it's Tuesday. You've been here for a week, and awake and talking for two of those days. Not that you'd remember. There, you warm enough now?"

Mac frowned, voice small as he ignored Jacks question and asked his own. "I keep asking the same questions?"

Jack nodded, and sat down. "Yep, but don't worry; just because I've told you the answer a hundred times, doesn't mean I won't tell you a hundred more. You'll come right, you just have to be patient. Doc, said you rattled your head around pretty good in the explosion."

Mac looked Jack up and down, as if looking for something. "Are you okay?"

The older agent shrugged his good shoulder, his other one still sore. "I got a little glass in my arm, nothing too major. Don't you worry about me, just focus on getting better, okay? Bozer's already getting antsy about when you're coming home. I told him our work trip has been extended, and you're too busy to call him. So, you should call him as soon as you can remember our cover story for more than five minutes."

Mac looked embarrassed, staring down at his lap, rather than Jacks face. "Sorry. That must be really annoying."

Jack laughed, but the sound wasn't mocking, it was warm and familiar. He brought a gentle fist to Macs chin, pushing against it like a tiny punch, making Mac smile.

"Naw, it makes me feel like I'm the one with all the answers for once. Now I know what it's like to be you, except without all the nerdy stuff."

Mac couldn't help but crack a smile. "Okay, Jack. Whatever you say."

(I hope you like this chapter! Also one of my brothers has had so many hits to the head, that he forgets stuff sometimes like Mac does in this chapter. I was in the supermarket with him and he asked me if I had my ID about eight times in the space of thirty seconds. It's funny, a little annoying, and disconcerting, all at the same time, because he honestly cannot remember asking me the question even though it was five seconds ago, so yeah it really happens like that,)


	5. Chapter 5

Getting Mac back to his old self was no easy feat, but when had the little genius ever been afraid of a challenge? Mac was transferred home, to a phoenix facility where he could continue to heal, and he started on physical therapy right away.

It would be painful to walk for awhile, due to the lovely little stab wound in his thigh, so they concentrated on his hands and his memory.

Jack thought that Mac would have liked it, being able to work with his hands again, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded.

Mac's hands were like clay sculptures; they were hard to move, clumsy, even oafish. Mac was used to having precision, being able to have steady hands in any stressful situation, and he was used to being the guy that everyone trusted to disarm the worst bombs. Now he was trying to fit legos into the right places.

"This is stupid."

Jack watched the kid frown as he pushed the bricks together. "I know it seems that way, but it's helping you. I know you're the expert in pretty much everything, but you don't know squat about this. So, why don't you just do what the professionals tell you, so that you can get back to doing the stuff you're good at."

Mac pushed the legos away with a huff, and sat back in his bed. "It's still dumb. My fingers don't work right."

Jack narrowed his eyes, not willing to let his partner give up so easily. "When have you ever backed down from a challenge? What? Now that it involves Legos, you're out? I've seen you play with garbage, and Legos is where you draw the line?"

Mac crossed his arms, looking adorably grumpy. "This isn't a mission, or even anything remotely exciting, Jack. This is just putting bricks together."

The older agent nodded. So, that was it. Mac was bored. His hands were working but his brain was unoccupied. He needed a real challenge, something to work with.

"Okay, then let's make this a mission then."

Mac looked confused, scrunching his nose up, making Jack smile. "What?"

"You want a challenge? I'll give you one. You have a minute to assemble that Lego into-" He tapped one of the pictures on the box, a mildly complicated looking sculpture that Mac could work with. "That. Before it goes boom."

Mac smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Before it goes boom?"

Jack nodded, proud of himself. "Yep. It's a bomb, and the only way to disarm it is to make that duck, thing on the box."

Mac watched him, weighing his options, and Jack laughed, throwing his hands up and turning around as if he were about to walk out of the room.

"Hey man, if you're not up for it, I get it."

"No, I'll do it. I can do it."

Jack smiled and turned around, attempting to look serious. "All right, but don't let this hospital go kaboom. It's all on you, brother."

Mac laughed. "Isn't it always?" He looked happier, leaning over his tray table, and hovering his hands over the bricks, as he smiled. "Start the clock. I got this."

Jack had missed watching him work, and although it wasn't like it had been before, it was good. Mac's little frown, the crease between his eyebrows that he got when he was concentrating, and the way he sometimes stuck his tongue out as if it would help him work faster. He'd missed seeing him do his MacGyver thing.

Mac threw his hands up, beaming, before the minute was even up. "Done! How's that for a duck?"

Jack stopped the timer and peered at the lego creation, with suspicion. "The one on the box doesnt have wheels, Mac."

The kid pushed his along the tray, watching it roll. "That's why mines better. I wanted to add rotors, to make it more like a helicopter, but they don't have those parts in this set."

Jack laughed, and leant forward to ruffle Mac's hair. The kid looked happier than he had in days, and Jack felt as if maybe they really would be okay.

Of course it wouldn't last.

It happened the next day. He only left for a moment, just to get them some lunch, but by the time he got back he was wishing he had stayed.

Mac would always find trouble wherever he went, and if he couldn't find it, he would usually make it. He was a genius, no one would dispute that, but sometimes he craved a challenge too great, and that never ended well.

He was bored, after he and Jack had each made some Lego ducks, with different modifications, and he was looking for a better challenge. With a TV and a broken remote within arms reach, he found it pretty quickly.

Jack had told Mac a million times that he was incredible, that Mac could disarm bombs in his sleep, and suddenly Mac was faced with the realisation, one again, that he wasn't what he used to be.

With one explosion, one building collapse, he found it hard to use his hands like he used to, and while Mac was far from hopeless, or broken, he felt like it.

He cracked the remote open without too much trouble, but when it came to the precise, delicate rewiring, that fixing it required, he was at a loss. His hands were shaky, and fumbled around. They barely felt like his hands at all.

He huffed, annoyed, and tried again. And again. And then again. And then he lost it.

It was too much. He had done his best, with something that used to be easy, and it wasn't enough? What bullshit.

He pushed the tray table away from himself, hating the look of it, of the gutted remote sitting there mocking him. But it wasn't enough, he wanted it gone. He picked it up and threw it across the room, letting out a yell as it smashed against the wall.

Jack was just down the hall when he heard it. Faces turned towards Mac's room, and he dropped the sandwiches he was carrying, heart racing as he booked it to his partners room.

A few nurses were already in there, trying to wrestle Mac back into his bed, but he was completely lost to his anger, as he kicked the table so hard it clattered to the floor. He threw their hands off, trying to stand from his bed, but not strong enough to handle it yet.

Jack had never seen MacGyver so angry. The kid barely ever lost his temper, always in control, and always kind. But this was pent up anger, and hopelessness, just exploding from where he'd shut it away.

The nurses worried over him, trying to reach him to hold him up, even as he pushed them away, and Jack watched his knees buckle.

The nurses let out cries of concern, and tried to grab him, but Jack got there first, wrapping his arms around Macs waist, and lowering him to the floor to hold him as he cried and fought his hold.

"No, let me go! I don't want your help!"

Jack held him as he struggled, pushing against Jack and trying to get him to let go, but Jack didn't break his hold. He looked, instead, to the nurses with an apologetic frown.

"I'm sorry, he's not usually like this. He just needs a moment."

Thankfully they seemed to understand, and only nodded, before leaving them in peace; ushering people away from the doorway and dispersing their audience.

Mac was still trying to push him away, as he sobbed, breaths laboured and wet as he panted; but Jack didn't let go.

"You have to calm down, Mac. Just breathe, I'm here. It's okay."

Mac's hands, that had been shoving against Jacks shoulder, suddenly stopped, and gripped onto him instead, as Mac slumped to his chest, and fell into his hold.

"No, it's not. It's not okay."

Jack held him tight, shifting a little to adjust his partner, to make sure that Macs bad leg wasn't being put under any pressure.

"Why not? What's going on with you? Talk to me, man. Let me help."

It made Jacks chest tighten, as Mac sobbed into his neck, because Mac had only cried once since Jack had met him. That wasn't to say that Mac never cried, it was just that he was very private when it came to his emotions. He didn't like feeling out of control, and so he usually kept a tight lid on any and all breakdowns.

Jack rubbed a hand over Mac's back as the kid forced his wobbly words out. "I couldn't do it. Something so easy, and I just...I couldn't get my hands to work. Jack, I can't do this."

"Yes, you can. It might take a little time, but you can do this. Do you know why?"

Mac sniffled, feeling pathetic, and held onto his partner tighter, as he shook his head.

Jack learnt his cheek on the top of the kids head, as he spoke; needing him to understand.

"Because no matter what your hands might be doing, you are still the smartest little guy I know. Just because that other smart guy, Stephen whats-his-name, is in a wheelchair it doesnt stop him from doing his thing. I always forget his name, it has something to do with a bird. Stephen Sparrow?"

Mac's voice was small, but it was calmer than it had been before, and held the smallest hint of amusement as he corrected Jack. "Hawking."

Jack smiled. "That's him. He's in a wheelchair, and he is still doing amazing things with his mind. You can too, this doesn't change anything."

Mac lifted a hand from Jacks shirt, to wipe at his face, and Jack was happy to hear his breathing was more stable. "He wasn't a bomb tech. He was working with theories in maths and physics. He doesnt need his hands for that."

Jack wasn't deterred. "But you can make some pretty awesome ducks with lego, so, whos the real winner here?"

Mac laughed, leaning heavily into Jacks chest; having tired himself out from his tantrum. Jack rubbed his back again and kept going, words sincere.

"You'll get better, Mac. It just takes time. And you'll have me here the whole time. We're doing this thing together, brother."

Mac felt tears prick his eyes again, and he curled his fingers into Jacks shirt. "Thanks, Jack."

…

Mac was more than a little embarrassed about his outburst, and wanted to help clean his room. Of course, Jack said no and put him straight to bed, to sleep for the rest of the afternoon, which the kid needed more than he wanted to admit.

But as soon as he woke up, he insisted on apologizing to the nurses he'd pushed and yelled at. He felt awful for the way he'd acted, and confessed that he'd been having a rough time with his injury, and hadn't dealt with it in the way he should have.

Jack watched him, head low, but eyes fixed firmly on the nurses, as he gave his heartfelt apology. The nurses were never mad, of course, they dealt with patients like Mac all the time. But even if they had been , they could never have resisted his puppy eyes.

Jack was sure that Mac didn't even know he was doing it, but the nurses certainly fell for them, as they assured him it was alright, and all was forgiven. Mac looked relieved, and Jack just shook his head fondly, at how Mac was so unrelentingly good.

After that, Mac was more patient with his physical therapy; taking his time when bending the paperclips Jack got him, and sticking out his tongue in concentration as he made his little office supply creations.

He eventually graduated to walking, as well, and didn't complain once about the fact that he needed a rolling walker and constant supervision to do so.

Jack had always been over the top about how proud he was of Mac for his ability to create things, and he didn't hold back with the pride he had for Macs progress in therapy.

He'd stand at the end of the walking bars, as Mac pulled himself along, getting stronger everyday. "Yeah, that's my boy! Look at you go! Be careful with that leg, buddy."

Mac was happier too, with the constant support and help, and it was easy to see his progress when Jack kept crowing on about it.

"That's four steps more than yesterday! You'll be chasing down bad guys in no time."

His mood was also lifted by the fact that he could call Bozer, and still sound like his old self. Having his childhood friend talk to him like he always did, helped to ground him, in a way that Bozer didn't even know he was doing.

"How do you keep blowing fuses? How many appliances do you have plugged in?"

Jack watched him smile, and walk his friend through fixing it, watching as his shoulders relaxed, and the stress melt from him.

"Just unplug it all, you don't need the radio on while you vacuum, while using the microwave….Because you can't hear it anyway….Yeah, they'll be by the fuse box, but if we're out of real ones, there are some I made. They'll hold up till I get home."

And eventually they did go home. Jack was relieved when the neck brace finally came off, but he had to admit he was a little more protective of his partner after that. But that was his job wasn't it?

…..

Riley had her hand over her mouth as she read the medical reports, and saw the x-rays. Bozer was looking equally as shocked, with tears threatening to fall as he looked over the dates the events happened, and how long Mac had taken to recover.

His voice was hollow as he spoke. "I remember those weeks, and that 'work trip' they went on. I remember calling Jack because they hadn't come home when they were supposed to. And I knew that Jack sounded… I don't know, down? He didn't sound like himself, but he said Mac was fine and I...I can't believe it. I can't believe Mac went through all that and I didn't know."

Riley sat back in her chair, unsure what to think of it all. It was a lot of information to take in.

"That's why they don't talk about it. That's what Matty meant when she said Mac wouldn't want to remember it."

Bozer nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "After reading that, I get it. I don't want him coming in on Cairo day either. That's...awful."

Riley nodded, before remembering something. "Oh my god, Bozer. That's why Jack was so freaked out last week, when Mac fell. Remember?"

Bozer nodded. Of course he remembered; it was kind of hard to forget.

They'd been on a mission, trying to figure out what Murdocks plan with his collection of psychopaths was, when Murdock left a note, teasing Mac about where his father was.

It drove Mac nuts, wondering if Murdock had him kidnapped or killed, or if it was all just a trick to mess with him. The note had made Jack so mad he'd punched a hole right through the wall where they'd found it pinned in one of Murocks last known safe houses.

It had said some nonsense about how sad it was that Mac was working so hard to find his father, while his father was doing all he could to stay hidden.

That had been rough, but that wasn't what Riley had been talking about. She was talking about what had happened afterwards. Mac had been setting up something in a tree, trying to use the height to make his invention work better, when the branch broke, and he fell.

Riley had never seen Jack so scared. They'd been in war zones, captured, tortured, and disavowed, but she had never seen him as scared as when Mac fell from that tree.

 _He ran over to his team mate, calling his name, and radioing for an ambulance, within seconds or hearing the thump of Mac's landing._

 _His eyes had been wide and terrified, as he gently placed his hands over Mac's chest to keep him on the ground._

" _Don't move! Mac, don't move. There's an ambulance coming."_

 _Mac had looked pretty shaken himself, and he'd found it hard to breathe from the landing on his back, but he was quick to reassure his partner._

" _It's okay, I'm okay. Nothing's broken, I'm just winded."_

 _Jack was beginning to sound as if he were hyperventilating, his hands fluttering over Mac as he searched for any damage, always careful not to let Mac move his head._

" _Are you sure? There's no tingling? No pain? Can you feel everything?"_

 _Mac stopped himself from nodding, and snagged one of Jack's hands, squeezing it until he looked him in the eye. Mac had looked as scared as Jack did._

" _I'm sure. There's no tingling, it just hurts through my shoulders, but I can feel everything. It's okay, it was just a bump on the head, I promise I'm fine. I'd know if I wasn't."_

 _Riley and Bozer had been hanging back, as Jack handled it, but had been a little confused as to why Jack was so scared. Yes, Mac had fallen a considerable distance, but he was fine, and Jack had been less concerned when Mac had actually broken his arm during a fight, the month before._

 _Jack nodded, calming down just a fraction. "Okay, but you don't move until the ambulance gets here and checks you out, okay?"_

" _Jack-" Mac had tried to protest, only for Jack to cut him off with damp eyes. "We don't mess around with this sort of thing, Mac. We take this stuff seriously, always. I can't do it all again. So, stay still till they get here. Okay?"_

 _Mac's eyes were wide with fear, and understanding. He squeezed Jack's hand. "Okay."_

Bozer nodded to Riley, as she recalled the story. "Yeah, I remember that. They had a talk too, after Mac was cleared and sent home. He and Jack went to talk in his room and I overheard them."

" _You have to be more careful, man. I can't stand to see you hurt, you know that. I'm not letting you go before me. I will not see you put in the ground, you hear me?"_

 _Mac had sounded tired, after all the tests and scans at the hospital, that Jack had insisted on. "Yeah, Jack."_

" _You promise me you'll be more careful. I'm not losing you."_

" _I promise Jack. I'll die after you. And I'll go to your grave and talk to your tombstone just like you do with your dad."_

 _Bozer hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he had been worried at the turn of the conversation._

 _Jack had paused at the implication that Mac's words held; that silent admission that Jack was like a father to him._

 _Jack hadn't been able to think of a reply, before Mac was talking again but his words were shaky, and Bozer had known he was about to cry._

" _Hey, thanks for being here. For always being here. You know.." Bozer had heard a sniffle, and put a hand over his mouth as he heard Mac's voice crack through his words._

" _He's not but I have you and you never left. You didn't just leave when I did something stupid or let you down.. you... he left. And he doesn't want me to find him."_

 _Mac's soft huffs of breath, turned into the unmistakable sound of Bozers best friend crying, followed by a shuffle as Jack pulled him into a hug._

" _Hey, it was never your fault Mac. I promise you, he didn't leave because of you. You didn't do anything wrong. And I will never, ever leave you. I'll be right here. I got you Mac, don't you worry. I got you, kid. I'm here."_

Riley still had her hand over her mouth as she listened to Bozer, and afterwards the both of them, sat in silence just taking it all in.

A quiet, familiar voice, broke the silence after a moment. "You've read it?"

The two agents turned, to see Matty in the doorway. She didn't look mad, as she walked towards them. Riley wiped a tear from her cheek as Matty spoke again.

"You know what happened?"

The two nodded, not knowing what else to say. She watched them with sympathy, before gesturing to the door, and taking the computer from them.

"Go see him. You both have the rest of Cairo day off. Tell Jack and MacGyver I wish them well."

Riley handed the computer over without hesitation, as she and Bozer thanked their boss and left.

They drove straight to Mac and Bozers house, where they found their teammates on the couch, drinking beer, while Mac tried to fix the remote. His usual concentrating frown, was in place, as he soldered the dry joints inside.

Jack was babbling, face lit up in the same pride he always wore when Mac did anything close to impressive.

"Look at you go. I never get tired of watching you work, Mac, because you've come such a long way. Remember when you were terrified you'd never be able to do it again?"

"Yeah and you promised me it would all be okay. You kept that promise, so thank you."

Jack was smiling, patting the kid on the back. "No problem, man. It's my job."

Bozer and Riley had been standing in the doorway, not knowing what to say, until the floor under them creaked, and both men looked up.

Riley lifted a hand. "Hey, guys. Hey, Mac." Her voice was softer than usual, and both she and Bozer looked shaken and pale.

Mac put down the remote, as Jack placed his beer on the table. He nodded to them. "You read the reports?"

He didn't seem to be mad either, for which Bozer was glad. "You don't mind?"

Mac shook his head and stood, walking towards them to give them a hug.

"No. I knew you'd find them eventually, and I would have told you myself, except it's not something Jack and I really like to talk about."

Riley squeezed Mac tight, as Bozer did the same, both so glad that their friend was okay, but still shaken to know how badly their infamous mission had been.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Jack came over at Rileys admission, and added himself to the group hug, squeezing all his kids into one bear hug.

"He's okay, guys. He's tougher than he looks."

Bozer tightened his grip. "I'm so sorry I didn't know. I'm sorry that you had to go through that and then act like it never happened. I wish I could have helped."

Mac let out a small sigh. "It wasn't your fault, and I really am okay now. The past is the past, even if we do take Cairo day off."

Riley wiped her eyes, with one hand, as they all released each other from the hug. "You mind if we take today off, with you? I really don't feel like working right now."

Bozer nodded, and held onto Macs sleeve. "Yeah, or leaving you. Like, ever."

Mac laughed and pulled them over to the couch. "Sure, maybe you can convince Jack that we don't need to watch the complete works of Bruce Willis for the tenth time."

And suddenly everything was normal again, they were together, and Jack was going on about Die Hard being the best franchise ever made. Their little family may have gone through some tough times, but they'd always have each other.

And even the Cairo curse couldn't stop that.


End file.
